Five individuals and one team will be inducted into the Moose Jaw and District Sports Hall of Fame next month.

On Thursday at Mosaic Place, MJDSHF President Larry Graham unveiled the 2017 induction class, which will be the third class to head into the hall.

Baseball player Ryan Anholt, baseball and hockey player Rod Heisler, long-time Saskatchewan Huskies head coach Brian Towriss, lacrosse athlete and builder Steve Michaluk, builder Dr. Graeme McMaster, and the 1995 Masters Relics fastball team will all be enshrined in the hall during the induction ceremony on Oct. 20 at Mosaic Place.

“It’s an honour, that goes without saying,” said Heisler. “I credit the board members with putting this together, it’s been a lot of work for them and a lot of years, and for me now to be part of the induction is awesome. I really appreiciate it.”

Heisler will actually be the first two-time member of the Hall as he was inducted in the inaugural class in 2015 as part of the 1985 Moose Jaw Generals, which was inducted into the Saskatchewan Sport Hall of Fame that same year.

Over the course of his career, Heisler excelled at both baseball and hockey. He holds the record for most national team appearances after representing Canada at 11 World Baseball Championships, three Pan-American Games and the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.

He played six seasons of professional hockey in Germany, winning a scoring title in 1981-82 with 58 goals and 100 points.

Heisler has been honoured with the Moose Jaw Medal of Merit in 1982; the Government of Saskatchewan Merit in four straight years from 1982-85; Government of Canada Merit in 1988 and the Kinsmen Lifetime Achievement in 2000. He was also inducted into the Saskatchewan Baseball Hall of Fame in 2006 and the Bemidji State University Hall of Fame in 2007.

“When I was playing, I had a chance to play and have fun. I got to play two sports that I really loved and play both a pretty good level and I had success at both of them,” he said. “The enjoyment that I had was the guys that I played with.”

Towriss is no stranger to Hall of Fames either as he was inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame earlier this year, but he said going into the hall of fame in his hometown is a special honour.

“I haven’t been here really since I was 18, but it’s always been home to me,” he said. “I really appreciate the nomination, it’s a big honour.

“I was humbled and honoured that I was considered. My sporting days in Moose Jaw ended in high school, but I’ve always tried to stay in close contact with Moose Jaw, we always recruited here and I have family here, so it will be a fun night.

Towriss served as the head coach for the University of Saskatchewan Huskies football team for 33 years, wrapping up his illustrious career in 2016.

Under Towriss, the Huskies developed into a national powerhouse, winning the Vanier Cup three times and appearing in the national championship game on nine occasions. He’s the winningest coach in Canadian University football history with a record of 196-118-1.

Towriss coached 71 All-Canadians, had 160 players named to the Huskie and/or All-Canadian Academic teams and helped 47 players reach the CFL.

Dr. Graeme McMaster, better known as “Doc”, has been a part of the Moose Jaw sports community for over 40 years as a fixture in sports medicine and as a cross-country running coach.

“This is a big honour,” he said. “I’ve always looked at the history of sport in Moose Jaw and I’ve always admired the level of athletes that have been developed here in Moose Jaw and to now be a part of that scene is a great honour.”

McMaster came to Moose Jaw in 1976 when he opened his Chiropractic and Sports Medicine Clinic. He started out as the team doctor for high school football and eventually transitioned into other sports and helped many athletes in Moose Jaw deal with injuries.

As a coach, McMaster coached track and cross-country running with the Moose Jaw high schools and the Rotary Track Club from 1994-2007. Many of the athletes that he’s coached have gone on to win awards at the college level in Canada and the United States.

McMaster also served the cross-country coach and assistant track coach with the University of Regina from 2007-2015. During his tenure, the U of R program won the Canada West cross-country team championship in 2009, winning coach of the year that season as well, and nine Canada West individual titles from 2010-2015.

McMaster also helped co-found the Moose Jaw Pavers cycling club in 1986. He won the provincial time trial championship in 1987 and 1988.

Anholt went from a local sports star to a star at the Division 1 level in NCAA and continued that onto the international stage.

After winning awards and championships as a baseball and hockey athlete here in Moose Jaw, Anholt continued his baseball career with Northwestern State University in Louisiana, winning Southland Confernece Player of the Year in 1997. He was an All-American and an Academic All-American in 1998 when he set school records with 88 hits and 155 total bases.

He was inducted into the Northwestern State Hall of Fame in 2014.

Anholt was drafted by the New York Yankees out of high school in 1994 and again by the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1996.

He represented his country on the international stage at the World Championships in 1998 and again in 2000.

Michaluk was a driving force behind the development of lacrosse in Moose Jaw and has helped turn the local program into a provincial powerhouse. He continues to coach today, leading the Moose Jaw Mustangs peewee team to a league and provincial title in 2017.

As an athlete, Michaluk competed for Canada with the U19 team in 1992, winning a bronze medal at worlds and he competed with the Canada West senior field lacrosse team at the 1994 Commonwealth Games. He helped Team Saskatchewan to six consecutive gold medals at the Canadian Men’s Field Lacrosse Championships from 1999-2004.

In 2008, he became the first lacrosse player inducted into the Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame.

Finally, the 1995 Moose Jaw Master Relics team hosted the Western Canadian Championships, walking away with silver that season.

“We were just totally stunned when we found out that we’d been picked, it’s such an honour,” said team member Denise Burns.

The Relics formed as a team in 1987 and were instrumental in the formation of the Moose Jaw Senior Women’s Fastball League and also helped get the diamonds at Caribou Heights built.

They won provincial titles form 1991-1994 before finishing second in 1995. They lost to the Victoria Knights, who were the three-time defending champions, in the final at Westerns.

The Relics played together for 19 years and placed first or second at provincials on 16 occasions. They won bronze in 2005 at the World Masters in Edmonton, beating New Zealand in the over-45 category.

“We 19 people on our team in 1995, including coaches and managers, and all 19 will be at the induction next month,” said Burns.

The induction ceremony will be held on Friday, Oct. 20 at Mosaic Place. Tickets are on sale now for $50 at the Mosaic Place Box Office.